Star Wars: The Force of the Bith
by prese
Summary: A young Sith apprentice is killed on planet Tatooine. As his last opportunity to contribute to the fight against the Jedi, he channels some of his Force powers to a newborn Bith. The Jedi take the Bith to the Jedi library on planet Ossus, where a young Gran Jedi adopts him and becomes his master. However, the Sith managed to transport some of his dark powers to the baby, too...
1. Prologue

**Gerbha Desert, Planet Tatooine, 4002 years before the battle of Yavin**

Deemus B'atha slowed his speeder bike down. He was a human male, and he had been chased by authorities who seeked to kill him for his crimes. He was arriving to a small desert village, and he couldn't see his Jedi pursuers anymore. Either they had given up or taken a wrong turn and lost him. Good, Deemus thought. His modified starfighter was now destroyed, and during his escape he had been shot to the stomach. The wound was bleeding, but he didn't care. He couldn't escape the planet anymore, so his death was inevitable.

Deemus stopped the bike and jumped off. He hid his lightsaber and tried to look panicked. It wasn't hard, since his situation wasn't the best possible.

"Help! Help me! I've been wounded by bandits!" he yelled as he stumbled to the village. Soon a female Bith came out of one of the houses.  
"Oh dear! Quick, follow me!" she ordered. As Deemus walked behind her, he could see that the village was apparently a Bith settlement; all of the people who had come to see the source of the screams were members of this big-headed species.

"Were you shot?" she asked, worrying.  
"Yes", Deemus answered. "My friends... they were taken as prisoners... do you have some sort of ship in this village? I must go look for them!" he continued.  
"We have a small transport ship, but your wounds must be healed first", she replied.

A male Bith, possibly the female's husband, came from the hut where they were heading.  
"Tiatha, what is wrong with him? Does he need help?" the man asked.  
"No", Deemus said. "I don't plan to live long. I just have to find my pursuers and kill them before my time comes."  
"Pursuers?" the female Bith replied.  
"Are you pursued? By the bandits?"

"Oh, the bandits. I lied about the bandits. It's the Jedi who are after me", Deemus explained.  
"Why? Are they dark Jedi? Well, of course they are, why else would they-" the man said, until he realised what was going on.  
"You... stay away from my wife!" he yelled as Deemus revealed his red lightsaber. This alerted the rest of the villagers, as red is the preferred lightsaber colour of the dark Jedi and the Sith.

With a quick swing, Deemus beheaded the female called Tiatha, but as he was taking a step towards the male, he was hit by a blaster.  
"I wasn't expecting you to be armed", he said to the other Biths of the village, who had come out of their huts with weapons. There was about ten of them, and while they thought they had the upper hand, Deemus was about to prove them wrong.

"You can still back off", Deemus offered. "I had to kill her to prove my strength to you, but I don't mind you living. Look at my wounds, I am dying. I just need your ship to make sure that my death doesn't go unworthy."  
"You will die for what you did to Tiatha!" an elderly Bith shouted, raising his laser rifle.

Deemus, however, wasn't just any dark Jedi. He was a trained Sith, whose master had just died hours ago in a Jedi raid to their hideout in the nearby planet Geonosis. He managed to escape, but the four Jedi chasing him struck his ship with an electric blast that made it malfunction, and he crash-landed on Tatooine. Now his Sith powers were more powerful than they had ever been, since his anger towards the Jedi and sadness caused by his master's death fed them.

He let out a small smile.  
"Very well then. As your spirits flow out of your bodies, just know that I would have spared you if you had chosen so." Then he put his lightsaber away and the Biths hesitated for a moment, confused by this gesture.

That was mistake. Deemus raised his hands and employed a very powerful Force lightning. The Biths collapsed under the power of this ancient Sith technique, and they screamed in agony as the lightning made them drop their weapons and forced them to fall into the ground. Only the oldest Bith, who had claimed to kill Deemus, still held his weapon tightly in his grasp.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. The Biths opened their eyes in confusion, only to realise that Deemus had taken out his lightsaber and finished them off, one by one. Finally he stopped by the old man and lifted him from his throat.

"What is your name, fool?" Deemus asked. "You oppose me, but I like your willpower. I want to know who you are before I kill you."  
"My name is Krengo", the man replied. Suddenly a smile appeared on his face.  
"Even as you are about die, you smile", Deemus said. Then he heard an engine start behind him.  
"Fool!" Krengo yelled and burst into laughter. "You Sith lords are driven by your anger, and it blinds every small bit of sense you might have had in your skulls! You are not the first Sith lord who has been fooled by me! Behold, as your transport leaves without you!"

"I am not the first, maybe not. But I am the last", Deemus said and struck his lightsaber into Krengo's stomach. Then he started running.  
"I was a fool", he acknowledged as he ran. "I should've killed Tiatha's husband first... why was I so careless?" He became even angrier by his thoughts.

Tiatha's husband had ran away after Deemus had killed his wife. Now he was in the transport shuttle behind the village, preparing to leave Deemus behind. Unfortunately for him, Deemus was faster than the ship's launch.

Deemus cut a hole in the ship's bottom with his lightsaber and jumped in.  
"Are you trying to escape me?" he asked from the terrified pilot.  
"I am sorry I had to kill your wife - and your little colony - but I had no other choice. I don't really crave anyone's blood, you know", Deemus explained as he took steps closer to the Bith.  
"You know, I don't want to kill you. I can, and I will if I have to, but I don't need to. If you were so kind to just leave the ship to me, I would spare you. Make your pick."

The Bith looked at Deemus, and he was probably very afraid. Then he slowly stood up, and carefully walked towards the exit. Deemus looked at his walking, relieved. Suddenly, the Bith grabbed a small basket from the floor, and kept walking.

"Wait", Deemus said. "What do you have there?"  
"Please... just let me go", the Bith begged.  
"Is it a baby?" Deemus asked.  
"Yes. It's my son, and now that you've murdered Tiatha, he is everything I have. Please let him live!" the Bith demanded.  
"Yes, yes, of course. But I want him. Give him to me", Deemus said.  
"What?"  
"Give him to me. If I make it out here alive, I need an apprentice. My master is dead, and I am ready to pass my knowledge forward. I will make your son a proud Sith, instead of some poor farmer who he would otherwise become", Deemus offered.  
"Well..." the Bith answered. He took a careful step towards Deemus.

Then he grabbed a blaster from his jacket and shot Deemus in the chest, twice.  
"Argh!" Deemus screamed and threw the Bith to the wall with a Force push. The young father tried to shoot him for a final time, but Deemus deflected the shot with his lightsaber. The shot flew back to the Bith and hit him to head, killing him immediately.

Deemus grabbed his chest. His skin was charred, and the wounds that the Jedi had caused him had started to bleed again. He was dying.

Suddenly he heard speeder bike sounds from the outside. He looked out of the window and saw that the four Jedi had arrived. Since the village was filled with corpses and the ship's engines were on, they would soon realise where he was.

Deemus put his hand on the wall to stop him from collapsing. He took some careful steps towards the baby. The baby was crying. Deemus crouched and took the baby on his lap.  
"Listen, and listen very carefully", Deemus said.  
"I will die very soon, but you won't. You are a Bith, and what I recall from my master's teachings, Biths can be very easily made Force sensitive. You weren't conceived, you were created. And now, I am going to improve you..." Deemus took a deep breath. He was in great pain. "With Force", he finished the sentence.

Deemus put his hand over the baby's head and concentrated very hard. He wanted the Force to flow out of his body to the baby, and that way create a new Sith lord. While Deemus wasn't quite sure how this would work, he wished that the baby would turn out to be interested in the dark side, and then unleash it on the Jedi. Deemus hated Jedi. He had always thought that they had all the power in the universe in their hands, and they were too afraid to use it to command and conquer.

Deemus finished his mental orientation. He heard steps outside, and decided to face his destiny. He stood up, still holding the baby in his arms, and opened the ship's door.

He dropped to the ground and faced the four Jedi masters who had killed his own master a few days ago.  
"Hello", Deemus said, and the Jedi stayed quiet. One of them held a blaster pistol, and the rest wielded their lightsabers.  
Deemus walked to a small rock, and placed the baby on it. The Bith baby was wrapped in a cloth that kept him warm.

"His name is Krengo", Deemus said and took out his lightsaber. The Jedi raised their weapons, and Deemus managed to wound a Jedi to his leg, before he was killed by a quick swing to his chest.

The Jedi left his corpse to the desert, and proceeded to burn the victims of the Bith massacre along with their huts. They also took the baby, Krengo, and left the desert with their mission completed.


	2. Chapter 1: Manifestation of the Force

**Great Jedi Library, Planet Ossus, 2 weeks later**

Saks Leetam looked at the basket where the baby was laying. He was a male Gran Jedi, and he was the one who had struck Deemus fatally. His master, a human male named Fergus Onom, was still recovering from the leg wound that Deemus had caused him. Now Fergus had just accompanied Saks in the Jedi library's living quarters.

"I'm starting to understand why Deemus wanted us to take care of the child, my master. Maybe he sensed the Force in the baby. Krengo isn't probably older than a month, and he is already starting to emit signs of a greater understanding. He even lifted a toy with his mind one day. I don't think I've ever seen a child - a baby - with such powers as these", Saks Leetam said.

"Yes, I agree", Fergus replied. "You know, Saks... I have been thinking. You have been my apprentice for almost two years, and lately you have made some important actions in our battle against the Sith. First, you decrypted the transmissions that led us to hideout of master Gorl and his apprentice Deemus on Geonosis, and you even bravely fought and captured Gorl who was trying to escape. And, of course, you killed Deemus. That was a great victory not only to us, but also to you, as a Jedi."

"What do you mean, master Onom?" Saks asked.  
"I think that your training is starting to come into an end. You're my third padawan, and the two other have died soon after I let go of them. Now, I've been hesitating on giving you up, but you've proven to be superior Jedi than even I might be, so I think that you are ready to be on your own."  
"Are you serious, master Onom?" Saks asked.  
"Krengo cannot live in an old, dusty temple without parents for his whole life. I think you should take him into safety, somewhere where he isn't a target to Sith attacks. There are a lot of mountains nearby, and maybe you could settle there with the baby, training him as he ages. He holds a lot of potential, and you could be his master."

Saks Leetam was confused for a moment. This had come very quickly, and he hadn't been prepared.  
"I... I agree, my master. If you think that I am ready to take a padawan - and take care of this child - then I shall do so. You are right about his safety, though; the Sith have become more aggressive than ever."  
"I believe they are preparing for a war", Fergus Onom replied. "We questioned Sith master Gorl yesterday, and he kept claiming that we would soon face our end. We tried to force him to eat a herb that would have made him reveal the meaning behind his words, but he started unleashing Force lightnings that overheated the machine that kept him in place, and he was killed in the process."

"Well, it is good to hear that he is now also dead. But I must go soon. I will need to prepare a house for me and Krengo, and I want to do it soon. I am afraid of his safety. He might prove to be a very important piece in the battle between the Jedi and the Sith, and I won't allow him to die until he has been trained. Goodbye for now, master Onom."  
"Goodbye to you too, master Leetam", Onom replied.

 **Eocho Mountains, Planet Ossus, 3996 years before the battle of Yavin**

Saks Leetam and his young padawan woke up in the middle of the night. The sky trembled, and Leetam could see hundreds of ships fleeing the Jedi library in the horizon. Before they could make any assumptions, a big transport ship landed on their yard. Saks revealed his lightsaber and approached the ship.

"Put it down, we don't have time!" a friendly voice yelled. It was his former master, Fergus Onom, piloting the giant ship.  
"What is happening?" Leetam asked.  
"Something horrible. Everything is falling apart. The Sith have somehow destroyed nearby stars and caused a supernova that will kill all of us if we don't escape quickly. I have our Jedi starfighters in the back of the ship, don't worry about that. Go get Krengo and let's leave, quickly", Onom explained.

Leetam ran inside and grabbed Krengo, and together they got back outside.  
"What is that?" Krengo asked as they were entering the ship.  
"It... it's trouble. Krengo, hide inside. Quickly. Master Onom! Come out here! Now!" Leetam answered.  
Krengo went into the ship and Onom stepped out, looking worried.  
"That starfighter is painted black and has ancient Sith runes on it. It can't be anything good", Leetam pointed out.  
"It isn't", Onom replied, and they took their lightsabers out.

The starfighter landed on a nearby cliff, and a female Kel Dor Sith stepped out. The two Jedi masters approached the ship carefully with their lightsabers ready to be activated.

"I followed your ship here, Jedi master", the Sith lord said.  
"My name is Gutee'shi. Now that I'm closer, I can see that you are the famous master Onom, who was responsible for the death of my master, Koterra. What a find this is indeed! I get to kill the man who took the life of my trainer... before I could!" she said and revealed her two lightsabers.

The Jedis' lightsabers clashed with the Sith's lightsabers. She deflected their strikes easily, but the two lightsabers made her movements very difficult. Saks Leetam dodged one of her strikes and suddenly jumped over her. She was in a difficult situation, standing between the two Jedi.

Suddenly she kicked Onom in his knee, causing him to fall down with a scream. She quickly swung her hand and pushed Leetam away with Force.  
"Prepare to die, Fergus Onom!" she shouted and raised her lightsaber.  
"I wasn't expecting to find you from the transport ship, yet along another Jedi! Master Kun will give me great honour for my-" Gutee'shi grabbed her neck and dropped her lightsaber.  
"I... can't breathe..."

"Leetam! Force choke is a dark power! You shouldn't have learned it!" Onom yelled and rolled out of the Gutee'shi's nearby area.  
"I haven't! Where is it-" Leetam looked at the ship.  
"Krengo", he said quietly.

Gutee'shi fell on her knees as Krengo held his arm up, blocking the air from entering the Sith's lungs.  
Onom beheaded the Sith with a quick swing of the lightsaber.  
"Have you taught your padawan a Sith technique?" Onom asked angrily from Leetam.  
"No! I don't know how he can know it, unless his father somehow thought it to him before he was killed", Leetam replied.

Suddenly the ground shattered and the cliff collapsed. The body of the Kel Dor fell to the depths of the pit.  
"Quickly, to the ship!" Onom yelled, and Leetam grabbed Krengo as they ran to the ship and left planet Ossus. They would never return, as the Jedi library would be looted by the dark lord of the Sith, Exar Kun.


	3. Chapter 2: Mission to Kashyyyk

**Lake Micheeck, Planet Kashyyyk, 3985 years before the battle of Yavin**

The giant lake was spreading under Krengo's starfighter. It could have qualified as a sea on some other planet, but since every part of it was near land, it was often considered as a lake. Micheeck, as it was called, was also very deep, and Krengo had heard stories of what its depths might contain in the village that he had visited with master Leetam earlier.

The Jedi pair had come to Kashyyyk to take on a critical part of Leetam's training as a Jedi: they were here to capture and kill two Sith lords, who had caused trouble in the nearby Wookiee village of Kahiyuk.

The two Sith lords, a Rodian male named Mergo Gharr and his padawan, a Zabrak male named Viilee Dogo, had seen the Jedi pair's approaching starfighters and had tried to escape in their own ships. A pursuit ensued, and now Krengo and Saks Leetam were in the middle of a firefight.

"They have strong shields!" Leetam shouted in the radio.  
"I noticed. I have one missile left, but I don't know which ship has stronger shield", Krengo replied.  
"I wouldn't mind if you guessed", Leetam said and shot Gharr's ship with another load of laser beams.  
Krengo sent his missile on course to Dogo's ship, but it flew past him and exploded mid-air.

"Damn it!" Krengo cursed. "Wait! Master Leetam, I have an idea. If this goes wrong, send a distress signal so that we can be picked up", he said.  
"Picked up?" Leetam asked.  
Krengo sped up his starfighter and soon was just behind Sith padawan Viilee Dogo's ship.  
"What are you trying?" Leetam tried to ask, but Krengo didn't respond.  
Instead, he situated under Dogo's ship and opened his fighter's canopy.  
"Prepare to die!" Krengo shouted and jumped up, boosting the jump with his Force powers. He grabbed Dogo's ship and started slowly climbing towards the cockpit.

"Look out!" Leetam yelled, but then he realised that Krengo didn't have a radio anymore. He had set his ship to stay afloat, so it had already been left far behind the dogfight.  
Sith lord Mergo Gharr's orange Jedi starfighter approached Dogo's. Krengo was reaching Dogo's cockpit, but Gharr opened fire.  
Saks Leetam had to react fast. He tried to bash Gharr's starfighter out of its course, but it only made his own wing to burst in flames.  
"Krengo! Whatever you're trying, do it quickly!" Leetam yelled as he tried to keep the ship balanced.

Krengo was now over Dogo's canopy. He took his lightsaber out and was just about break the glass, when Gharr fired another round.  
"Argh!", Krengo yelled and tried to dodge.  
Leetam punched his own canopy open so he could try to communicate with the Bith, but the fast speed made it difficult.  
"Concentrate! Concentrate!" he shouted.  
Krengo seemed to catch a glimpse of his words, as he took a steadier stance.  
"Use the Force!" Leetam continued.  
"Prepare to face your destiny", Gharr yelled in his cockpit. The Rodian Sith lord then opened fire at the Bith.

While standing on the fast moving starfighter was difficult, Krengo managed to free his both arms for the lightsaber. He concentrated, and as the plasma shots hit his lightsaber, he deflected them and redirected them with his mind. They returned back to Gharr's ship, and its front burst into flames.

Suddenly Dogo's canopy flew open and the Sith lord jumped up, activating his lightsaber in the air.  
"Kill him!" Gharr yelled and crashed right into Leetam's ship with his own. The two ships spun wildly in air until they soaked in the water of the Micheeck lake. Dogo's ship, however, stayed in the air and continued flying fast.  
Viilee Dogo and Krengo now struck each other's lightsabers as the two prepared to kill each other.

"You will die now, Jedi!" Dogo yelled as he dodged Krengo's hit.  
Krengo swung his lightsaber while trying to keep his balance, but this proved difficult. The Zabrak was obviously more skilled in maintaining balance while fighting.  
"This doesn't seem fair", Krengo replied to Dogo's threats.  
Dogo swung his lightsaber towards Krengo's legs, trying to make him fall, but Krengo had had enough.  
"Let's take this ship down", the Bith yelled. Krengo then rolled out of Dogo's range and to the cockpit. There he struck the control panel, resulting in the ship quickly losing its altitude.

The Zabrak was still having the upper hand, though. The falling ship was even more difficult to fight on.  
"Let's see you dodge this", Krengo said and concentrated all his strength in hitting Dogo, not in his body, but his lightsaber.  
Dogo fell on his knees from the sheer power that was in the strike, but he was still on his ship.  
"You are not powerful enough with your Jedi powers", Dogo laughed.  
"How about Sith powers?" Krengo asked.

Krengo put his lightsaber away and let out a quick burst of Force lightning. Dogo immediately stopped his laughter and flew backwards, falling from his ship to the lake. Krengo jumped after him.

 **Wyrruckicack Forest, Planet Kashyyyk, 3 minutes later**

Krengo coughed. He had just crawled on the small strip of shore, but he had no time to recover. Viilee Dogo had gotten out of the water from the same place just earlier, and Krengo had to catch him if he wanted to see him ever again. Lake Micheeck was right next to Wyrruckicack Forest, an ancient and deep sanctuary that had magnificent plantlife that could host a rogue Zabrak's life for months. Dogo would have no reason to leave the forest until he saw Leetam and Krengo leave Kashyyyk, so Krengo was in a hurry.  
"I hope Leetam is okay. Or at least alive", Krengo thought.

Krengo had his hand on his lightsaber as he proceeded to the forest. He didn't have to walk more than a few minutes - even though the beautiful and varied plants and animals of the forest would have kept the journey interesting - before he came to an old structure.

The small altar-like area was made out of stone, and it was probably used as a ritual location by the ancient Wookiee tribes. Most of the place had already been filled with growing plants and fungai, but Krengo could still see some inscriptions and runes in the stones.

"I sense a strong connection with Force in this ruin", said a voice behind Krengo.  
"I couldn't imagine a better place to kill a Jedi", the voice continued. Viilee Dogo walked out of the forest where he had been hiding.  
"Dogo", Krengo replied. "You shouldn't do this. I am very powerful with Force, and I can't promise your safety. If you surrender, we will interrogate you and then maybe let you go."  
"No, you won't. You kill Sith, like Sith kill Jedi. I don't understand you in that sense; if you're so good and honest that you can't even use the Force on its full power, why will you still hunt down people who use it how they like? Because in the end, you want power and ruling just as much as Sith do?" Dogo proposed.  
"Minds greater than me decide about that. I warn you, Sith apprentice - I am very strong with Force", Krengo repeated. "I have always felt like... like I have as much Force in me... as two regular Jedi would have."

"Minds greater than you?" Dogo asked, and started laughing. "That's how Jedi always do it. Even though you claim that you're more powerful than your masters, they still want to have all the power in their hands. Look at what you're doing! You're here sacrifing your life, while they sit in their thrones and organize a Sith genocide! Look at me. I'm a Sith. Only person who is higher than me is my master, and after I finish my training, only the dark lord of the Sith rules me. I can go and make a whole race go extinct, and then I could take their planet and make it mine! Dark side is so much more powerful than anything that Jedi could do!"

Krengo didn't know how to answer. Dogo was partially right; here he was, in a fight that could end in his death, while the Jedi Council was training more young people to do exactly the same. Krengo was, after all, very strong with the Force. He had never quite understood why, and master Leetam had said that he would be told it eventually.

"Enough!" Krengo shouted. "Die, Sith!"

Krengo revealed his lightsaber and jumped towards Viilee Dogo. Dogo rolled out of his way and started laughing again.  
"Yes! Show me the anger! Show me the dark side in you! I can sense that you aren't as pure as your master thinks you are! Maybe after I've finished my training I could lend you some tips! Why don't you come with me and my master? Your own master is probably dead already anyway!" Dogo yelled while dodgind Krengo's attacks.

"Shut up!" Krengo shouted and struck the rock that Dogo had just standed on.  
"Show me some of those Sith powers you have", Dogo proposed while trying to hit Krengo.  
"I saw you can do a nice lightning, but what else? Can you choke me with your mind?"

"Shut your mouth and fight me! I'm a pure Jedi!" Krengo screamed.  
"I can sense your fear. Why are you on the Jedi's side, when you have so much dark side in you?" Dogo asked. He had stopped laughing, since now he was serious.

"Very well then", Krengo said and put his lightsaber away. He had turned as white as Bith can get. "You wanted to see my powers. I will give you that pleasure, but know this: I'm only using them as Jedi, to stop you."

"As you say", Dogo said. He was smiling. "Just be prepared. I have been trained on the dark side, and your powers will be nothing compared to mine. Let's see what you-" Dogo's sentence was interrupted by the Force lightning that Krengo used against him. He flew to an ancient runestone, and couldn't move. The lightning made his body move uncontrollably around the ground.

"Will you fight me properly now?" Krengo asked.  
"Who has taught you such strength?" Dogo asked. He was shaking.  
"Nobody. I don't know how I got it, but when I was young, I choked one of your kind when he assaulted my friend. After that, I've trained these powers without my master's knowledge. I want to use them for good."  
"You will be exiled from your order, if the word gets out", Dogo laughed. He tried to stood up, but fell back to the ground. The lightning had caught him off guard.  
"No. The word won't get out. You will die", the Bith replied.

Dogo jumped up and took his lightsaber out.  
"Kill me", he said.

The two Force users clashed, and sparks flew as their lightsabers hit each other.  
"I don't care if you kill me", the Zabrak explained as he threw a rock towards the Bith with Force.  
"You cannot avoid drifting to the dark side; you've gone too far already. If I die, my master will just find a new padawan... possibly you", he continued.  
Krengo didn't respond. He kept trying to strike the Zabrak, but Dogo dodged too fast.  
"And if you die, then my master won't lose anything. We will continue dominating Kahiyuk and sell the Wookiees to slavery. Of course, the profit will go to exterminating your kind", Dogo laughed.

Krengo tried to block his words from entering his ears, as the two fought in the ruins.  
"I haven't heard from your master yet. You'd think that our discussion and fighting could be heard from far away. Maybe he has escaped. Or maybe master Gharr has killed him", Dogo said and let out an evil smile.

He was right, Krengo thought, as he tried to pierce Dogo's chest with the saber, but the Zabrak was too swift again.  
Master Leetam's lifeless body could be laying somewhere right now, hidden in the forest, never to be found, as Mergo Gharr flew back to Kahiyuk to continue his dominance.

"Well, maybe your master isn't dead. My master has often taken weak Jedi as prisoners, and tortured them for months, until they give some information regarding whereabouts of other Jedi. Then he usually gathers other Sith to feast with him as they watch tortured Jedi scream in his agony. Those parties always end in a grand seremony where he executes the captured Jedi. Maybe your master has already been tortured for the length of our fight. I wonder when he reveals your new temple's location..." Dogo said.

"Argh!" Krengo screamed. He lifted his hand up, and without his own approval, his conscience decided that it was time to get rid of Dogo. He threw out a more powerful Force lightning than he had ever been able to.

Dogo's body was smashed backwards again, but this time he flew so fast that a runestone was cut in half in the impact. His burning body fell on a forest meadow behind the altar.

Dogo screamed, as Krengo kept electrocuting his body, despite its broken bones and burning flesh. Lightnings flew to every direction, and finally Dogo stopped moving and screaming. His body was on flames, and ground around him was charred from the power that the Bith had unleashed upon it.

And there, behind the body, he stood.  
"Master Leetam", Krengo said. The Bith was terrified. His master would never approve this kind of use of the Force.  
"I lost track of Gharr during the crash. A Jedi transport has arrived, it's right behind these trees", Leetam said. He looked at Dogo's body for an oddly quiet moment, and then he left the meadow, speechless.


	4. Chapter 3: Darkness of the Mind

**Jedi Temple, Planet Coruscant, the following day**

The Jedi of Ossus had evacuated into the Jedi Temple on planet Coruscant after the dark lord of the Sith tried to destroy the Jedi library. Krengo and Saks Leetam had lived on a high class building near the Temple during Krengo's training, and now Leetam stood in front of his apartment's big window, waiting for Krengo to arrive from his own living quarters in the next room.

"I have discussed some matters with master Onom", Leetam said when Krengo stepped in, without turning or greeting him.  
"My master", Krengo began. "I am sorry for my actions, but-"  
"Silence", Leetam said. "You don't have to be."  
"What?"

"Let me tell you a story", Leetam said, now sounding more comforting. He sat down on his sofa, inviting Krengo to sit on a chair opposite of him.  
"It is a story of how I became your master - and caretaker - and how I my Jedi training ended. I was on a mission with master Onom, whose apprentice I was back then. Onom had sent me to look for encrypted radio signals that could reveal locations of Sith lords in Geonosis, a rocky planet that was known to be a hideout for multiple enemies of ours. After flying back and forth over the planet's orbit, almost giving up, I caught a signal that was sent in an ancient dialect of the Gran language. Unfortunately for its senders, it was heard by a Gran Jedi, and what it contained amused me. A Sith lord named Gorl, who was also a Gran, requested a transport to come and pick him and his apprentice up. They had stolen a giant shipment of lightsaber crystals that could have been used to make hundreds of new swords for new Sith."

"Did you interrupt them?" Krengo asked. The story interested him.  
"Yes. I spoke back to him with the dialect - I had already been studying Gran history for years back then - and told him to be ready for the transport the next day. Then I got back to the Jedi library, and took master Onom and three other Jedi masters with me to attack the Sith."

"Go on", Krengo said.  
"We originated the signal to a cave near a Geonosian mine city, probably the same place where Gorl and his apprentice had stolen the crystals from. We caught the two Sith off guard, and Gorl was soon wounded. One of the Jedi masters left to the Jedi library with him, but me and the other Jedi went after the escaping padawan. His name was Deemus B'atha, and he was even more vicious than his master. He escaped with his own modified Jedi starfighter, but we shot it down in Tatooine's orbit. He crashed to the Gerbha Desert, but he had a speeder bike in his ship, and he got away, again."

"Did you catch him?"  
"We took our own speeder bikes from the transport ship that we used, and followed his tracks. Unfortunately, we were too late. What we found was horrible. A whole Bith settlement, every man and woman in it, had been murdered just before our arrival. We noticed that a transport ship, like our own, was ready to take off behind the village, and we approached it. Deemus came out of the ship, and he was wounded. What was out of ordinary was that he carried a Bith baby. He placed the baby on a rock, and told us that his name - your name - is Krengo. Maybe it was given to you by your father, or maybe he came up with it. We kept the name, since it sounded good. Then we killed Deemus."

Krengo sat in his chair, quiet.  
"Now, here is the interesting part. Biths are a very interesting species, since they are created from the genetic material of their parents. What we thought was that your father was Force-sensitive, and that way you became a Jedi, but that might not be true at all. I discussed the subject with master Onom, and we think that..."

"Yes?" Krengo asked.  
"We believe that Deemus B'atha might have somehow channeled his strength to you. You were a baby, not older than a few weeks, and your genetic structure could still be changed at that point, if the changes were applied by someone very powerful. This might be the reason to why you are so strong with the dark side."

Krengo was quiet again.  
"Where is it?" he asked.  
"What?"  
"Gerbha Desert. Where is it?"  
"It's on Tatooine, as I said. The coordinates can be found from the Temple, but I don't think you want to-"

Krengo moved his hand in the air. Jedi mind tricks don't often work on other Jedi, but Krengo had, as he had always thought, two Jedis' worth of Force. Saks Leetam fell asleep on his sofa, and Krengo put a blanket over him. Then he ran to the nearby Jedi Temple.

 **Gerbha Desert, Planet Tatooine, a few hours later**

Krengo's Jedi starfighter landed on the desert. He had been circling over the desert for ten minutes now, trying to look for any signs of what he was looking for. And there it was. A crashed, partially buried Sith starfighter.

Of course, Deemus' trail had been covered probably soon after the crash 17 years ago, but Krengo still looked for any indication of which direction he took.  
"This is a waste of time", he said aloud. Then he realised that the ship's rear door was open, and that was probably the place where Deemus kept his speeder bike.  
"This is just a lucky guess", he wondered, as he flew to the direction pointed by the ship's rear. Krengo thought that when one's life depends on whether he escapes or not, the direction doesn't matter, and it was very probable that Deemus had gone straight from his ship's rear.

After flying over the desert for a few minutes, he saw what he was looking for.  
"There it is", he whispered in his fighter's canopy.

Burned, sand-covered remains of a village. There couldn't be many burned villages that were close to crashed Sith starfighters. Gerbha Desert was known from its very rare sandstorms, so the village should still be visible.

Krengo hopped out of his ship. He approached the village slowly, and saw a pile of charred bones in the middle of the village.  
"My family", he thought aloud. Krengo kept walking through the village, and what caught his attention was a big transport ship behind the burned huts.  
"This has to be it", he said aloud, again. Krengo walked up the ship's loading ramp that was still open, after all these years.

"A basket", he said as he entered the ship. "My basket." He tried to look for something that could tell him about his parents. Then stumbled upon something that he didn't expect to find.  
"A Bith skeleton", he gasped. "My... father..." The skeleton's structure was male-like, so Krengo made the assumption that it was his father.  
"It has to be. If Deemus got me from this ship, that has to be my father", he said.

Confused about his finding, Krengo left the ship, only to find an even more concerning skeleton. Just as he was inspecting it, he saw master Onom's ship landing on the village square, driven by master Leetam.

"Krengo! What are you doing? Why did you have to come here, when I tried to stop you?" Leetam yelled.  
"Why did YOU try to stop me?" Krengo asked.  
"Because you might find something-" Leetam noticed the skeleton on the ground.  
"It isn't charred", Krengo said. His tone was almost terrifyingly calm.  
"And it is definitely not a Bith", he continued."

"What are you-"  
"Did you kill him, master Leetam?" Krengo asked. He still remained calm.  
"Yes. I killed the Sith apprentice, Deemus B'atha, who killed your father, your mother and all of their friends and relatives in this village. I took his life", the Gran Jedi master answered.  
"How?" Krengo responded.  
"I hit him in the chest. He was already wounded, but I gave him the fatal strike."  
"Was it quick?"  
"Quick? Yes. He died immediately."

Krengo stood quiet, looking at the skeleton on the ground.  
"A Sith lord comes to a village, and finds a baby and his parents. Then the Sith lord proceeds to kill them all, save the baby, to reach his own goals. And what do the arriving Jedi masters do? Four Jedi find one, wounded Sith with a stolen baby, and they kill the Sith as quickly as they can. Why, master Leetam? Why didn't you make him pay for his crimes? He wouldn't have been a match for you. You could have tortured him and forced him to see, what he had done to the others!" Krengo shouted at his master.

"Be careful of your thoughts, my padawan", Saks Leetam said. "You are on the edge of the dark side. Don't let it corrupt your mind. You can still be saved."  
"Can I?" Krengo asked. "I was given the dark side as a gift less than a month after I was born. Can I escape my destiny?"  
"Don't speak like that", master Leetam said. He was starting to be afraid.

"Why? What does the light offer me that can't be given by the dark side? Restrictions? Limitations? Force and power that I cannot use to achieve my own goals?" Krengo yelled.

"Krengo", master Leetam said. "I... I was wrong about you. It was clearly a mistake to train you. Your mind is too blinded to be a Jedi's mind."  
"Maybe", Krengo began. "Maybe I am not a Jedi, then. But I do have the Force in me." Saks Leetam looked at his padawan, his adopted son, with a terrified look.  
"And... what are you going to do with it?" master Leetam asked.  
"I've heard... that there is another option. Aside from being a pure Jedi, who runs doing tasks for the Council all day long", Krengo replied.  
"Krengo, my son", Leetam replied. "I am afraid... that you've drifted too far to the dark side."

Krengo took out his lightsaber.  
"Prepare to die, master", he said.  
"I don't want to fight you", Leetam said. He still revealed his own lightsaber.  
"Then don't. But I will have to kill. It is inevitable. I cannot accept my destiny if you live."

Krengo ran towards his old master and tried to cut his head, but missed.  
"I warn you. I was a padawan when you were a newborn. I can easily defeat you", master Leetam said as his saber struck ground in the place where the Bith had just stood on.

"You don't have the willpower", Krengo yelled. He made a backflip to avoid the Gran's horizontal slash.  
"You tried to prevent me from coming here, because you knew that the truth would reveal my destiny. Deemus made me a Sith, and I cannot escape that!"

"You don't even want to change. You've trained in secret from me, mastering the Sith arts", master Leetam yelled. The two moved their fight slowly towards the burned remains of the huts. Saks Leetam kicked Krengo in his knee, resulting in the Bith to collapse.  
"Die!" the Gran yelled, but Krengo rolled out of the lightsaber's track.  
"If I can only stop you from becoming a Sith by killing you, then I am ready to do it", Leetam shouted.

"I will enjoy watching you try", Krengo responded. Their lightsabers struck each other again and again as the two tried to harm each other.  
"One of us will not leave this desert alive, and I have no plans to die today!" Krengo yelled. Leetam jumped towards him, and he guarded himself with his saber. Now they were standing there, in the middle of the Bith's former home village, lightsabers clashing.  
"You shouldn't have done this! You were so powerful - you could have defeated the Sith empire with me! And now you've forced me to kill you!" Leetam shouted.  
"Only one who is dying today is you!" Krengo yelled. He struck Leetam's saber with such force that it flew from his hands, and then he put his own lightsaber away to concentrate fully on Force lightning.

Master Leetam was pushed away from him as the lightnings emerged from Krengo's hands.  
"Krengo!" the electrocuted Gran yelled. "Think about what you're doing!"  
"I... am... killing you!" Krengo yelled. Lightnings spun from the ground as they surrounded his former master.

Suddenly Krengo stopped electrocuting Leetam and grabbed his lightsaber. In a swift motion, he swung it through the air, beheading Leetam, and then returning to his hand. Krengo carried his dead master's body to the bone pile in the middle of the village and left it there, next to his severed head.

Then the newly-turned Sith climbed into his Jedi starfighter and left Tatooine.

 **Jedi Temple, Planet Coruscant, at the same time**

Jedi master Fergus Onom was sitting in his chair, discussing important matters with the other Jedi masters. The war with the Sith hadn't ended yet, so there was a lot to decide and discuss.  
"Master Wung", said a young female human.  
"Yes, master Ghi?" replied Wung. Master Go Wung was a male Nautolan Jedi master. His skin was, as it is with most Nautolans, green, and tentacle-like tendrils growing out of his head.  
"I recall that it was you who said that we could maybe construct some kind of army to fight the Sith, wasn't it? I have thought about it, and there seems to exist capabilities in the galaxy to build a great army. However, people can always betray us, and so I've come to a conclusion that the best option would to maybe build an army. If the war gets really bad, we might consider building a droid armada. Or perhaps, even, clone hundreds of warriors, thirsty for Sith flesh", master Ghi explained. Arissa Ghi was one of the youngest Jedi masters, and she was respected for defending many young padawans during the battle of Ossus.

Onom followed their discussion, but he didn't take part in it, since something was bothering him greatly. He sensed that something was happening, something that would change his life greatly.  
"Argh!" Onom yelled. He collapsed to the floor.  
"What is wrong?" Wung asked and stood up.  
"I... sense... a disturbance", deeply breathing Onom replied. "I've never felt... anything like this", he continued.

"I cannot feel anything", Ghi said.  
"Me neither", Wung added. "Are you sure about your feelings?"  
"Would I be laying on the floor if I were mistaken?" Onom asked and got back to his chair.  
"I am- wait... no... it cannot be..." he continued.  
"What is it?" Wung asked.  
"I see it clearly... no..."  
"Has something happened? I cannot sense it. Maybe it is the war; Jedi are killed constantly. The feeling is so natural that I can't differentiate it anymore", Ghi explained.

Tears started coming out of Fergus Onom's eyes.  
"Master Onom! Tell us, what do you sense?" Wung demanded.  
"Master Leetam... my former padawan Saks Leetam..."  
"Is something wrong with him?" Ghi asked. Ghi had often met the padawan when she had been a young girl, at the time when her training had first begun.  
"Master Leetam is dead. And... he was killed by his own padawan... Krengo...", Onom said. He looked out of the window, staring at nothing. He was still crying. Ghi walked to him and hugged him, also crying.  
"I will inform the Council", Wung said and left the room.


	5. Chapter 4: Preparations for War

**Mastaarl Wasteland, Planet Y'nybeth, 3984 years before the battle of Yavin**

Krengo's Jedi starfighter, now painted red and black, landed on the rocky and empty-looking wasteland. Planet Y'nybeth wasn't actually inhabitated, but it was the homeplanet of the amoeba-like creatures called "Plastar". Plastar lived in the holes and caves of the planet, and they were about the size of a small child. They didn't harm other creatures, so Krengo wasn't too careful in his landing.

Krengo was here to look for a Rodian. After spending months hiding from the Jedi Council and interacting with as few people as possible, he had finally discovered the location he had desperately searched for. During the last few months, he had built himself a red lightsaber to indicate his turning to the dark side. Now he had heard from a smuggler that the Mastaarl Wasteland was a scary place, since the few merchants who came there to catch Plastars for luxurious Coruscant restaurants had reported seeing a green lizard erupt from the caves and try to attack them.

Krengo knew that this was what he was looking for. It had to be the disappeared Sith lord Mergo Gharr. Krengo had tried to look for marks of him in the Wyrruckicack Forest where he had been last seen, but to no avail.

The suspicious cave was now in front of him. This part of the Mastaarl Wasteland - nicknamed "The Jackpot" by the merchants - held more Plastars than any other region, and Krengo had checked the other two big caves that he spotted from the air.

Krengo slowly walked towards the cave. He didn't hear anything from inside, but he knew that if the Rodian was on Y'nybeth, he had to be here.  
"Master Mergo Gharr! I know that you're in there!" Krengo yelled. Krengo approached the cave and looked in.  
"Master Gharr", he repeated.

Suddenly something jumped in front of the entrance of the cave, blocking Krengo's way out. The Rodian revealed his lightsaber and ran towards Krengo, but Krengo dodged and electrocuted him with his Force lightning.  
"Augh!" the Sith lord yelled. He was wearing a worn, black robe.  
"Hello", Krengo greeted. "You might remember me. I killed your padawan by torturing him with Force lightning. I did the same to my master the next day. I've understood that you could use a new padawan."  
"Are you Leetam's padawan?"  
"As I said, I killed Leetam. But yes, I was."  
"Very well then", the Rodian answered. "We must discuss this in a safer place. Follow me. But first, tell me; what is your name, young one?"  
"It is Krengo. Krengo B'atha."

 ** _Jedi's Death_ , Planet Y'nybeth, an hour later**

"I've renamed it ' _Jedi's Death_ '. I guess it was originally called something like ' _Y'nybeth's Pride_ ' or such. Its logbooks revealed that it had been used for Plastar transporting, but I am going to wipe out the Jedi scum with it."

Gharr was referring to the ship in a large, hidden cave nearby. He had led Krengo to it, and now the two were watching it in the light of a small fire.  
"I have stolen cannons and resources for it. I have mostly had to fix it alone, but Force is a big help." The Rodian turned to the Bith.  
"So, now. You want to become a Sith, don't you? Why should I believe you?"  
"We don't have any Jedi here, but believe me, I am ready to kill one if I see any. Your padawan was the one who made me think. Jedi have so much power in their grasp, and they almost never use it. I was born with the skill to cause people pain, and I am going to use it to rule", Krengo replied.

"I am a skilled Sith lord", Gharr said.  
"I suppose that I could lead you further to the dark side. I have not seen any Sith since I had to escape here from the Jedi inquisitors, but I assume that they would allow me to train a fallen Jedi. Besides, you are strong, Krengo. Not only with the Force, but physically, too. You can help me fix the _Jedi's Death_ , and we can leave this hellhole together with it. It has enough firepower to destroy a Jedi starfighter with only a few hits."

The two stood up and walked inside the ship.  
"I was planning to leave the planet, gather some followers and then return here, but your arrival has made me change my plans", Gharr explained.  
"Listen, Krengo. There is a merchant camp nearby. They are afraid of me, but you can go there, and see if anyone is willing to join the dark side. Kill everyone who refuses."  
"Yes, master. I will do what you request. I want to make the Jedi pay for their brainwashing", Krengo replied.

 **Progfee Camp, Planet Y'nybeth, 15 minutes later**

Krengo walked in his black robes. The camp had settled for night, but soon they would wake up. He had left his starfighter to a nearby hill, because he wanted to take the merchants on with a surprise. He sneaked behind one of the tents and took his lightsaber out.

The tent collapsed under the heat of the lightsaber as the Sith apprentice swung it around.  
A terrified human merchant jumped up and grabbed his rifle, trying to shoot the Bith.  
"Don't be afraid", Krengo said. "I am here to look for assistants. My master requires help in his plan to destroy the Jedi from the face of this galaxy."

Other merchants started getting up and grabbing their weapons.  
"People! If any of you is willing to join me and come to help to rebuild a big gunship, now is a good time to announce it", Krengo said. The groups remained silent.

Krengo swung his arm, letting go of his suddenly activated lightsaber, and it beheaded a Kel Dor merchant. With the power of the Force, it flew back to his hand and was soon back in his belt.  
"Would anyone of you like to change their opinions?" Krengo asked.  
"I am not going to help a Sith! You are the scum of the galaxy! You want to rule the galaxy with your own, evil terms!" shouted the human who Krengo had first waken up.  
"If I have to choose between death and criminals, I'll go for death!" the man yelled. Other merchants were amazed by his spirit, and they started protesting, too.

Krengo raised his arms and used Force lightning on the man. He fell on his back and started screaming on the ground. As he was slowly electrocuted to death, Krengo watched the other merchants into their eyes.  
"I ask you once more", he said while the man stopped screaming and rolling around.  
"Will you join me", he said and lifted the man's smoking body in the air, "or will you pick death instead?" He then threw the man's body away, and it rolled down a hill before disappearing to the darkness.

Krengo left the camp, and all of the merchants followed him.

 ** _Jedi's Death_ , Planet Y'nybeth, 6 months later**

During the last months the Sith pair had gained more workers from the arriving merchants. Of course they paid them, as Krengo would sometimes leave Y'nybeth on his starfighter, rob a Republic transport and then return with resources and money.

" _Jedi's Death_ is almost ready for engaging", Gharr said to Krengo one morning.  
"I know. But it required a lot of abducted merchants and stolen resources. They are going to send someone to investigate", Krengo replied.  
"My padawan", Gharr continued, as they watched the _Jedi's Death_ 's motors being tested.  
"You've done well in the training. You can completely control your outbursts now, and you even bested me in a fight. I think that you are ready to stop being my padawan, and become my fellow Sith lord."  
"Thank you, master. I agree", Krengo said.  
"But listen, Krengo B'atha of Tatooine. I think that the name that your former Jedi friends called you is the last connection to their order. If you want to be a Sith lord, I suggest that you take another name", Mergo Gharr explained.  
"I agree", Krengo replied. "I've been thinking a more proper name. The one that best suits me is Darth Deemus. The name... belongs to someone who was important to me."  
"Excellent", Gharr said.

"Wait", Gharr said, as he looked out of the cave. "A Jedi starfighter." Krengo looked out, and there indeed was Jedi starfighter, just about to land on the nearby merchant camp.  
"I will take the speeder", Krengo said. "If it's a Jedi, I will take care of him." Krengo got on a speeder bike and left the cave.

Progfee Camp, Planet Y'nybeth, 15 minutes later

Krengo hid the speeder bike behind a few rocks. He sneaked near the camp and saw a familiar Jedi talking to one of the newly-arrived merchants.  
"I have not seen anyone. I don't understand where they could have", the merchant explained.  
"Keep an eye out. If you really don't know anything, I'll make a quick flight around the area and try to see if I find anything. Thank you for your help", Jedi master Go Wung said to the merchant.  
"Go Wung", Krengo whispered to himself. He knew the Nautolan Jedi, since Wung had sometimes accompanied him and master Leetam on their Sith hunts.

Krengo lifted his arm up and started choking the merchant.  
"Ergh", the merchant said, and he fell on his knees.  
"What is wrong with you?" Wung asked him, but the merchant collapsed on the ground. He tried to stand up, but instead, he fell back down, lifeless.

"Master Wung", Krengo said and stepped out.  
"That's what he gets for helping the Jedi."  
"How do you dare?" Wung yelled. "You Sith make me sick! You do not realise that your powers shouldn't be used for your own good!"  
"Why not?" Krengo asked. "But I am not going to explain my motives to you; I've discussed them many times with my master, Mergo Gharr. And before him, master Leetam."

"Leetam? How do you-... Krengo?" Wung looked at the Bith with a confused look on his face.  
"Krengo is a name for a Jedi. Call me Darth Deemus", Krengo answered.  
"Is it... is it true? Did you kill master Saks Leetam on Tatooine?" Wung asked.  
"Yes. I electrocuted him with a Force lightning until the air was filled with smoke, and then I cut his head off", Krengo replied.  
"How could you?"  
"My former master represented everything that is wrong with the galaxy. People can bend the universe with their minds, and the Jedi order acts as a police who stop people from using the Force to gain power", Krengo replied.

"Darth Deemus", Go Wung started. "You are apparently a Sith now."  
"My master just finished my training. I am a Sith lord. We had to hurry, because the Jedi order won't destroy itself. Well, it does, but not fast enough", Krengo explained.  
"Well, since you are a Sith lord, I must kill you. I have been tasked with killing the criminal who is responsible for the stolen goods and lost merchants, and I assume that it is you", Wung said.

"Prepare to die", Krengo replied.  
Go Wung dropped his robe and took his lightsaber out of his belt.  
The Bith also revealed his saber, and the two attacked each other. Wung blocked all of Krengo's attacks, and Krengo dodged Wung's slashes. The two fought with little success for a while, until Krengo backflipped on Wung's starfighter and smashed his saber through the canopy glass and the control panel.  
"My ship!" Wung yelled.  
"You don't need it when you're dead", Krengo said and kicked the surprised Nautolan to his head.

Go Wung fell on the ground and was about the get up, when Krengo started electrocuting him with a Force lightning.  
"You shall die like master Leetam did."  
"Do you think that master Onom would be proud of you?" Wung yelled in the middle of the lightning storm.  
"I do not require pride from the Jedi. I have entered the dark side", Krengo shouted.  
"Know this, Sith lord Darth Deemus! You are strong with the Force - stronger than anyone I have ever seen - but you WILL fall, and it will be master Onom who ends your life!" master Wung yelled. He was in great pain, but he tried to grab his lightsaber.

Suddenly Wung turned his lightsaber on and the Force lightnings returned to Krengo, who was thrown back because of their strength.  
"Gah!" he yelled, and Wung jumped at him, wielding his lightsaber. Just as Wung was attacking Krengo, the Bith turned his own lightsaber on and pierced the chest of the jumping Nautolan. The Jedi master collapsed on the ground, dead.

Krengo took his radiotelephone and contacted Mergo Gharr.  
"Master Gharr", he greeted.  
"Darth Deemus. Is the Jedi dead?"  
"Yes. Prepare for takeoff. We can't stay here. Someone will come and look for the Jedi. We must strike now", Krengo explained.  
"Very well then. I will prepare everything. _Jedi's Death_ will leave in twenty minutes."  
"Good. Our first stop is Hleeko Canyon in Geonosis. While looking for you, I heard about a Sith hideout in there. We could recruit some help for our cause. Then we will head to planet Centares and destroy a Jedi training center. That will serve as a test flight for _Jedi's Death_ ", Krengo proposed.  
"As you wish, Darth Deemus", Gharr replied. "Just remember that I'm the one piloting the ship."  
"You and the hundred servants", Krengo corrected.


	6. Chapter 5: Assault

**Hleeko Canyon, Planet Geonosis, 3984 years before the battle of Yavin**

 _Jedi's Death_ was left to float on Geonosis' orbit while Krengo and Gharr flew over the canyon with their Sith starfighters. The canyon was wide and deep, and Krengo could see bones in the bottom.  
"They told me the hideout is somewhere here. I'd take a wild guess and say that it's in a cave, like ours. They probably don't want any company", he said to the radio.

Suddenly Gharr's ship was hit by a turret.  
"I'd take another wild guess and say that we've found them", Gharr added and quickly landed. Krengo followed him and they left the ships behind.  
"Prepare to die, intruders!" said a woman's voice behind them. The woman had emerged from a rocky staircase, leading to a cave near the canyon.  
"You've come too far, Jedi", she added.  
"You've made a mistake. My name is Mergo Gharr, and I am a Sith lord. This is my former apprentice, Darth Deemus. We are here to recruit Sith for a battle against the Jedi. We have a ship and a crew, but we require actual soldiers", Gharr explained.

The woman looked at the Sith pair for a moment. She was a Nautolan, like Go Wung. She was wearing a red, tight robe, ideal for fighting and moving.  
"I can take you to my companions", she said after a while.  
"My name is Kia Beeto. Follow me."

The three descended the staircase and disappeared into the cave.

 **Progfee Camp, Planet Y'nybeth, at the same time**

"Master Onom", said the voice of a male Twi'lek Jedi master.  
"Did you find anything?" master Fergus Onom replied.  
"Yes. I scouted the nearby area with my starfighter and I found a cave. There were marks indicating that something big had been built there." He was master Morn Joi Quo, a honourable Jedi knight, who had come to investigate master Wung's disappearance with Jedi masters Fergus Onom and Arissa Ghi.

Now they stood next to the Wung's dead body.  
"The cave must have held a hideout for the Sith. I couldn't say how many people had lived in there, but there were dozens of beds. Possibly occupied by the abducted merchants", Morn Joi Quo continued.  
"If they built something, it is probably nothing good", Ghi said.  
"I think it will be revealed to us soon."

 **Sith Hideout, Planet Geonosis, a few minutes later**

"So", Gharr concluded. "We need an armada, consisting of Sith starfighters. If any of you would like to join us, please do."  
They were standing in the middle of the cave, which housed five Sith lords who had gone hiding and planning a counterattack. They had been forced to go underground when a group of Jedi, led by master Fergus Onom, had raided their base of operations in the orbit of Coruscant.

The Sith lords were from various species, and now four of them took a step forward. A silent human male in the back of the cave refused to join them.  
"I will remain here. If you are successful in your attack to Centares, I might join in a later date", the man explained.  
"Fine", Krengo replied.

The four Sith who had come forward introduced themselves. One of them one was Kia Beeto, but the others weren't familiar to Gharr and Krengo.  
"I am Darth Viruus", said an old, male Quarren Sith. "I will aid in your task."  
"I suppose you are my best chance to strike back to Jedi", said a female human. "My name is Darth Tonqii."  
"I am Breto Gott. I was present when the Jedi library was attacked, and so was my padawan, a Kel Dor named Gutee'shi. She lost track of me and got killed by ferocius Jedi masters. I won't rest until the Jedi have been wiped out of this galaxy", said a male Mon Calamari.

"That settles it then", Gharr replied to the introductions. "We will leave immediately, before the Jedi follows our tracks. We had to kill a Jedi master to get our ship out of our hideout, and I bet they are comig for us."

 **Jedi Training Center, Planet Centares, a few days later**

Jedi Training Center in planet Centares was a beautiful sight. It's ground section was a small, rectangular building, but its pride was the huge tower that reached the clouds and held countless training rooms, living quarters and study halls.

Planet Centares was chosen for the center because it hosted many acidic lakes that could be used for training purposes. Now a Bith Jedi master called Moon'go Baath was discussing proper Force usage with his female Twi'lek padawan, Hame Koon.

"Master Baath, I've been thinking. We've been forbidden to use or train the dark side of the Force for as long as I can remember, but what does that actually mean? How does dark side differ from the path of the light?" asked Hame Koon.  
"That is an excellent question. Sometimes the best way to avoid falling to the dark side is to study its usage and see what it does to people", replied the Bith.

Suddenly the door opened and a droid stepped in.  
"Master Moon'go Baath", the droid started. "Master Wenyum told me to inform you about a ship that has entered the atmosphere of Centares. It is accompanied by four Sith fighters, and we have already activated the shields, but master Wenyum would like you to meet him at the-"

 _Jedi's Death's_ turrets struck the tower. One of the shots shattered the room's windows and exploded in the middle of the room. The droid was destroyed and Moon'go Baath was thrown to the wall from the impact.  
"Master!" Hame Koon screamed. She ran to her master and grabbed his arm. Baath was dead.


	7. Chapter 6: Battle of Centares

**Jedi Library's ruins, Planet Ossus, at the same time**

"Even one of the most Force-filled locations in the galaxy cannot help me sense the tracks of the Sith", master Onom claimed. The tracks of the Sith who had killed Go Wung ended in a meteor storm near Ossus. For some reason, Onom had sensed the trail left by the Sith's movements, and they had visited Geonosis. Onom, Arissa Ghi and Morn Joi Quo had found a cave where a lone Sith assaulted them, but they had quickly defeated him. He revealed nothing, and the Jedi decided to kill him.

"Master Onom!" Ghi yelled suddenly. She had sat in her Jedi starfighter, trying to listen for any distress signals coming from nearby planets and stars.  
"The Jedi Training Center of planet Centares has been attacked! Four Sith starfighters, accompanied by a bigger gunship, have destroyed multiple floors of the building! There were only two Jedi starfighters in the center, and they were both destroyed soon after they went airborne! We must go there, now!" she explained.  
"You were right. We did find them, eventually", Morn Joi Quo replied.

 ** _Jedi's Death_ , Planet Centares, a few minutes later**

 _Jedi's Death_ blasted another round of missiles and lasers to the center. It was on fire, and the escaping padawans and teachers were killed by the Sith starfighters.  
"This is a massacre", said Gharr. He was amused by the destructive capabilities of the ship. He was standing on the command deck of the _Jedi's Death_ with Krengo, watching the destruction from above.

The merchants had revealed to be easily convinceable, and now they were devoted to the Sith cause. They operated the machines, obliterating the Jedi Training Center.  
"Darth Deemus", Gharr said as they gazed upon the battle.  
"You have done well. I believe that we can take the center's remains as our base of operations... if anything survives the fight."

Kia Beeto flew past the huge control deck's window. Suddenly a male Rodian Jedi jumped on her starfighter and struck through the canopy with his lightsaber. Krengo could see Beeto's severed head spinning in the air. The Jedi tried to take the starfighter over, but Darth Viruus shot the fighter down.

"Wait", Krengo said.  
"The Jedi are arriving", he added.

And right he was, as the three Jedi appeared from the hyperspace to the orbit of the planet. They boosted up and two of the starfighters descended to the battle, chasing the ships of the remaining Sith; Darth Tonqii, Breto Gott and Darth Viruus.

But not Fergus Onom. He wanted to take out the main threat: the giant gunship in the middle of it all. He stayed behind it, so he couldn't be seen from the windows. The old master slowed down, but he couldn't see anything clearly. His mind was riddled with the feeling of a familiar presence.  
"I must see who is controlling that ship", he thought as he opened his fighter's canopy.

Master Onom used the Force to boost his jump. He set the starfighter to the full speed and hopped up, grabbing a metallic ledge behind the gunship's command deck. His ship kept flying and it exploded into small pieces as it hit a Sith starfighter. Then he started climbing the wall.

"Darth Tonqii is dead", Gharr said inside the control deck. "I can sense it."  
"We still have Darth Viruus and Breto Gott. Besides, the two Jedi who arrived aren't that big of a risk. I know only one person who could stand a chance against me in a fight, and he has probably died of old age already", Krengo explained.

Suddenly a lightsaber pierced the command deck's wall. With a quick swing, the wall was cut and the small circle that had been separated fell on the floor. The two Sith revealed their lightsabers.

Fergus Onom jumped in and took a fighting stance.  
"Prepare to meet your destiny, Sith! Is this what you want to do with your powers? Kill children?" Onom asked.  
"Master Onom?" Krengo replied. He looked at his old friend with a terrified look on his face.  
"Krengo?"  
Gharr looked at the old Jedi and started laughing.  
"You are the best they could send? We are here destroying an unique Jedi training center, and they send an old man to dispatch to powerful Sith lords?" the Rodian kept laughing as he jumped towards the Jedi.

With a quick move, Onom cut his whole lightsaber-holding left arm and kicked it out of the hole in the wall. Gharr fell on the floor with only one hand left.  
"I might be an old man, but I am also well trained, unlike you, Sith", Onom replied.  
"Krengo", he said and turned towards his old friend.  
"Why did you do this? And why did you kill master Leetam? I thought you were dead!"  
"The dark side is more appealing than the way of the cowards! I am too skilled to run errands for the old Jedi Council members! I want to rule!" Krengo shouted.  
"And my name is Darth Deemus!"

"Deemus? That means... I was right. Deemus B'atha managed to corrupt you with his dark Force. But... why did you kill Leetam?" Onom asked.  
"Because he stood on my way, like you do!" Krengo yelled. He ran towards Onom and tried to strike him, but the old man blocked it with his lightsaber.  
"Surrender, Krengo, and I will kill you painlessly!" Onom yelled.  
"Kill me painlessly? Do you think you would win a duel with me?" Krengo asked, laughing.  
"Your pitiful attempt to rule the galaxy is already going wrong", Onom said. "Look out of the window! Your Sith friends are dead!"

Onom was right. Just as Krengo looked out of the command deck's window, Breto Gott's ship exploded after an attempt to escape the sights of Arissa Ghi. When Krengo was distracted by the battle, Onom grabbed him and threw him out of the command deck's window, on the roof of the ship's lower parts.  
"Do you think he will die from that?" yelled the wounded Rodian from the corner of the room.  
"No. I'm going after him", Onom replied and jumped out of the window.

He landed on the roof too, and Krengo had already regained balance and a fighting stance.  
"Shame", Fergus Onom said. "I was hoping you would lose your lightsaber in the fall."  
"Prepare to die, scum!" Krengo shouted and struck Onom again, this time hitting his leg.  
"Argh!" yelled the old Jedi, as he counterattacked and hit the Bith to the stomach, though only scratching the surface of his skin.  
"Give up! I killed your padawan, I can kill you too!" Krengo shouted.  
"I can sense regret. You've clearly started doubting the usefulness of killing your master", Onom said, remaining calm.  
"Shut up!" the Bith yelled.  
"I am prepared to die, as you instructed. Are you?"  
"I don't need to! I will easily defeat you, old man!" Onom could see tears coming from Krengo's eyes, as the Sith ran towards him with his lightsaber ready to strike. Onom blocked the strike and backflipped away.  
"Are you sure you're evil enough to rule the galaxy? Are you sure you're willing to do this" - Onom pointed the Jedi Training Center, still engulfed in flames - "to countless other cities and buildings?"

"Don't try to find good in me! You can't turn me back!" Krengo yelled, as he again ran towards Onom, trying to catch the Jedi master who was getting closer and closer to the front edge of the gunship.  
"I am not trying to find good in you", Onom said, as he dropped his lightsaber to the ground. It bounced off and fell down from the edge.  
Krengo reached Onom and stabbed him into the chest with his lightsaber. Onom yelled from pain, as he grabbed Krengo's shoulder with his other hand and the Bith's lightsaber with the other.  
"I am trying to kill you", the Jedi finished his sentence.

Master Onom tightened his grasp and with all of his remaining strength, he hurled himself from the edge of the ship, pulling the confused Sith lord with him.  
"No! You fool! You've doomed us both!" Krengo yelled as they fell down with increasing speed.  
"We will both die!" he screamed.  
"You first", the Jedi master said. He pulled the Bith's lightsaber out from his hands and swung in the air, decapitating the young man he had once thought would become the savior of the Jedi.

Krengo's severed head spun in the air and got further away from his torso. Onom felt cruciating pain in his chest, but he know it would be over soon. He looked down, seeing one of the planet Centares' many acidic lakes. He closed his eyes, still holding Krengo's torso in his arms, and fell into the comforting, melting liquid.

 ** _Jedi's Death_ , Planet Centares, at the same time**

Gharr was leaning to the window. Krengo and Fergus Onom had fallen from the edge over a minute ago, and he couldn't tell if something had caught them during the fall or not. Since he had lost his whole other arm, he was bleeding a lot. Any of the command deck's crew couldn't help, since even if some of the merchants could fix something, it was mainly machines, not Rodians.

"Where is he? I can't command an empire alone... not with one hand. I can't-" Gharr cursed alone, until he suddenly felt something in the Force. "Oh no... he is dead", he whispered.

He looked out of the window and saw something that require more immediate attention. Morn Joi Quo was being pursued by the last alive Sith lord in the battle, Darth Viruus. The Quarren Sith lord shot the Twi'lek's ship, making it burst into flames.  
"At least the Jedi will die with us", Gharr said, smiling.

Suddenly Jedi master Arissa Ghi appeared behind Darth Viruus, landing two very accurate shots. Gharr could see the Sith lord collapse in his cockpit, and the Sith starfighter flew into the wall of the Jedi Training Center.

Morn Joi Quo lost control of his burning ship, trying to perform an U-turn, but resulting into him spinning around in the air. Gharr could see the terrified look on the Twi'lek's face as he crashed straight into the _Jedi's Death's_ command deck. The whole command deck exploded, and the flames spreaded in the _Jedi's Death_. The gunship fell straight down, sinking into the same acidic lake as Krengo and Fergus Onom had just sunk into.


	8. Epilogue

**Jedi Training Center, Planet Centares, three days later**

The ruins of the destroyed Jedi Training Center served as a great place for a graveyard, to remind the future Jedi of the perils of the dark side. Arissa Ghi stood there, looking upon the graves that had been placed there a day earlier. Many great Jedi had died on that perilous day; the graves had such names as Morn Joi Quo, Fergus Onom, Moon'go Baath and even Krengo B'atha, even though he had fallen to the dark side.

She saw a weeping Twi'lek girl, standing near the grave with Moon'go Baath's name on it.  
"Did you lose someone?" asked the female human.  
"Yes. My master, Moon'go Baath... he was the first victim of the assault", explained the girl.  
"I am sorry for you", Ghi said. "What is your name, young one?"  
"Hame Koon. I've been a Jedi padawan for one full year now, although I don't know if I will continue my training..."  
"Why not?" Ghi asked.  
"My master is dead and... and I'm afraid that I can't defense myself against the Sith if they come after me!" the girl explained.  
"The best way to defend against the Sith is to master the Force", Ghi said. "If you want, I can train you." Ghi had never had a padawan, and this acute opportunity had made her think. If she dies now, what does she leave to the world? Baath had trained countless of young Jedi, but what about Ghi?  
"Of course", the woman added, "we need to discuss it with the Jedi Council. But if it's fine for them, it's fine for me."

The two Jedi looked at the graves in silence for a moment. So had ended the story of the Bith Sith lord Darth Deemus; with a massacre and a birth of a new friendship.


End file.
